Design Review Board

City of Beverly Design Review Board July 13, 2023 Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 4 CITY OF BEVERLY PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES BOARD OR COMMISSION: City of Beverly Design Review Board DATE: July 13, 2023 LOCATION: Beverly City Hall, 191 Cabot Street, 3rd Floor, Conference Room A MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Jon Ouellette, Caroline Mason, Ellen Flannery, Pam Gougian MEMBERS ABSENT: Vice-Chair Rachel Poor STAFF PRESENT: Director of Planning and Development Darlene Wynne, Associate Planner Jared Contrada RECORDER: Naomi Moca Chair Ouellette calls the meeting to order at 6:40 p.m. 1. Applications: a. Harbor Sweets, 140 Rantoul Street, Beverly, MA 01915. Sign: Harbor Sweets, 140 Rantoul Street. Rock Beaudoin of White Light Visual is present on behalf of the applicant and states that a blade sign will be placed on the Rantoul Street side, measuring 32 inches by 32 inches, or 7.1 square feet. There will be a second blade sign on the Railroad Avenue side that will be visible from the train. The applicant is aware that the second blade sign will require a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). Beaudoin presents the signs on Rantoul Street and Railroad Avenue. The design plan also includes an A-frame sign on the sidewalk which will have to go before the City Council for permission. Beaudoin describes the window sign on the Railroad Avenue side, which will be red vinyl lettering stating the business name and ice cream. The Board discusses that the area on the blade sign must be within seven square feet and Beaudoin states that he will reduce the blade signs to 31 inches by 31 inches, thus making them compliant with the ordinance. The Board discusses how the street frontage measurement is calculated since the entrance door is angled diagonally to the sidewalk. The Board discusses whether the transom sign qualifies as a wall sign or a window sign. Beaudoin clarifies that the white background on the design plan represents transparent glass, not a solid white background. There will be matte red vinyl lettering directly adhered to the glass. The red vinyl’s backing is white, so white lettering will be visible from the interior of the business. The transom is 64 inches by 25 inches and the glass is transparent, not opaque. The Board discusses that historically transoms have been used for the street number. 1  City of Beverly Design Review Board July 13, 2023 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 4 The Board discusses why the additional sign on Railroad Avenue is necessary, and Beaudoin states that the applicant wants passengers exiting the train and those viewing the business from Odell Park to be able to see the sign. The Board discusses that the sandwich board does not seem necessary and that all the signs together feel rather busy visually. The Board gives Tartine Kitchen & Eatery at 192 Cabot Street as an example of the simplicity of unobstructed windows and Kaffmandu Coffee House at 280 Cabot Street as an example of window signs that were eliminated after discussion with the Board. The Board discusses that the ordinance states that the window sign may occupy 20% of the window opening or a maximum of 10 square feet, whichever is less. The Board discusses that the square footage of the sign is calculated using the border of the artwork. The Board agrees that the proportion of the letters relative to the window frame is appropriate. Beaudoin states that Beverly Crossing approved the design. Beaudoin states that Harbor Sweets was purchased by Hillard’s, an ice cream company, so ice cream is a new menu item. Beaudoin explains that the blade sign does not state that ice cream is offered while the vinyl sign does because the applicant is unsure if that feature of the business will remain. If it does not, the vinyl sign will be easier to modify in the future. Beaudoin states that the applicant is receptive to being respectful of the history of the building. The Board discusses that it is not in favor of the large sign or the total number of signs. The Board discusses that once approved by the City Council, which may not meet again until September 2023, A-frame sign permission requires annual renewal. The Board discusses modifying the window sign by removing the upper part of the sign, leaving the portion stating ice cream at the bottom. The Board discusses that the ZBA usually goes along with the sign recommendation of the DRB, so if Beaudoin were to order both blade signs simultaneously at the applicant’s risk, the second blade sign can hypothetically be installed later, provided the ZBA approves it. Beaudoin states that the applicant hopes to open the business by September 1, 2023. The Board discusses that the ZBA meeting is on July 31, 2023, and that the application deadline may have already passed. The Board discusses the applicant’s options for using a second sign if it is not approved by ZBA. Ouellette: Motion to approve the Harbor Sweets, 140 Rantoul Street sign application including: 1) two projections signs on the condition that they measure 31 inches by 31 inches and are installed per the application drawings provided, 2) a transom window sign above the door on the condition that it is reduced to 10 square feet, a second window sign on the condition that it includes the ice cream lettering at the base only, and 3) a sandwich board on the condition that it receives City Council approval. Furthermore, recommends that the ZBA 2  City of Beverly Design Review Board July 13, 2023 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 4 grant a special permit for the second projecting sign. Seconded by Flannery. Motion carries (4-0). 2. Old Business Ouellette and Wynne state that they are in communication with the owner of LaQchara restaurant regarding its sign; specifically, the location of the illumination and the location of the sign on the building. Wynne states that the size of the sign has been reduced to fit within the overhang band on the building. The Board discusses giving guidelines for what a typical sign application looks like in the future for applicants who are new to the process. 3. New Business a. Draft meeting minutes i. April 18, 2023 and May 4, 2023 Ouellette: Motion to accept the April 18, 2023 minutes as amended at the June 14, 2023 meeting and motion to accept May 4, 2023 minutes as written. Seconded by Flannery. Motion carries (4-0). ii. June 14, 2023 The members review and offer edits to the June 14, 2023 draft meeting minutes. Ouellette: Motion to accept the June 14, 2023 meeting minutes as amended. Seconded by Mason. Motion carries (4-0). 4. Other business The Board discusses the issue of non-compliant and non-permitted signs around the city. The Board discusses strategies for notifying business owners with non-compliant signs, such as that the Planning Department could issue courtesy letters that are not enforceable, or that the Building Department could issue notification letters that are enforceable by fines. The Board discusses that at this time there is no policy-wide application nor staff to implement either of these approaches. The Board discusses that if an application is started for a building permit, the Board is flagged if there is any sign as part of it. Furthermore, the Board discusses that there is no incentive to obtain a permit for window signs and that the non-permitted window signs in area businesses are unfair to people who obtain the proper approvals for window signs. The Board discusses that the City’s three-year waiver of permission for sandwich board signs has ended and that there is no plan in place to remove the now non-permitted sandwich boards. The Board discusses examples of non-compliant, non-permitted, and/or degraded signs such as Spire Investments at 16 Broadway, HairMates Salon at 16 Dodge Street, Speedway gas station at 295 Cabot Street, Wag N Wash at 144 Brimbal Ave Unit 11, the Zodiac Tea Room at 5 Washington Street, Salem Five Bank at 495 Cabot Street, and Sam’s Cleaners and Siam Delight at 128 Cabot Street. 3  City of Beverly Design Review Board July 13, 2023 Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 4 The Board discusses the City’s staffing shortage and that it appears to be a trend in workplaces post-COVID. Gougian states that there are vacancies in the ZBA. The Board discusses finding candidates who might be interested in open slots on the City boards, committees, and commissions, and that for some, volunteering one’s time can be an obstacle. The Board discusses that the volunteer application on the City website clarifies the steps to volunteer, and that word of mouth has been effective in sourcing candidates. 3. Adjourn Ouellette: Motion to adjourn. Flannery seconds. Motion carries unopposed. Meeting adjourns at 7:39 p.m. The next meeting will be Thursday, August 3, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. 4